The election results on Tuesday, December 23 in South Carolina showed that three Republican candidates easily won in a special election, securing two seats in the state House of Representatives and one seat in the state Senate.
These elections took place in three deeply red districts where Republicans have an overwhelming advantage. The vacancies for the three positions arose due to the resignation of the incumbent lawmakers, but the Republican supermajority in both chambers of the state legislature remains unchanged.
Among the three races, the only competitive one was between Republican pastor John Lastinger and Democratic retired Army Colonel Joseph “Chuck” Hightower. Lastinger ultimately defeated Hightower with 62% of the votes, winning the seat for the 88th district of the state House of Representatives. This district is located in Lexington County, a Republican stronghold, and Lastinger will represent the district in the state House until the current term ends in November next year.
Lastinger will replace former Republican state representative RJ May. May was one of the founding members of the “Freedom Caucus,” a group of hardline conservatives in the state House of Representatives.
May resigned in August after being charged with distributing child sexual abuse videos and pleaded guilty to five charges a month after his resignation.
May is set to be sentenced on January 14 next year, with each charge carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Last year in November, May easily won re-election with 92% of the votes, as no opponents appeared on the ballot.
Earlier this year, Lastinger narrowly won the Republican primary. He positions himself as a staunch conservative Republican, committed to defending Christian values and advocating for his support of anti-abortion policies and the rights protected by the Second Amendment of the Constitution (gun rights). If he wants to compete for the full term of the seat in the midterm elections next fall, he will need to file for candidacy in the spring.